


Office Ghost

by ReaderInsertBonanza (randarama)



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: Awkward Conversations, F/F, Fake Ghosts, Professors, desk makeout
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-01
Packaged: 2018-07-28 14:20:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7644316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randarama/pseuds/ReaderInsertBonanza
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's only your first week as a professor at the Kenneth T. Higgins Institute of Science when you find out your office could be haunted. Dr. Holtzmann says that it's best to be thorough when it comes to this sort of thing, and who are you to complain when it means you get to see her every few days?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Office Ghost

You’d survived the first week at the Kenneth T. Higgins Institute of Science. You’d been hired as an emergency replacement for the previous professor that held your position, who had left due to… “unforeseen circumstances”. It wasn’t the most prestigious place you could be teaching at, but it was a start.

You sat down at your desk, about to check your e-mails, when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in!” you called, after straightening a couple of things on the desk.

The woman who opened the door was… not what you expected. Frizzy hair, yellow safety glasses, leather jacket. She was holding some strange device that glowed and spun slowly. You didn’t think this was one of your students. You felt like you would have remembered her.

She began to move around the room, looking like she was trying to get some kind of reading from the thing she had in her hand.

“Um, can I help you, miss…?” She spun around, and looked you up and down a couple of times before answering.

“Holtzmann,” she said. “Dr. Holtzmann.”

“Oh, Doctor? Are you a professor here?” you asked.

“Could say that. I work downstairs in the basement with my research partner.” Holtzmann was currently scanning your fake plant in the corner. For what, you weren’t sure.

“What exactly do the two of you research?”

Holtzmann walked over and sat down in one of your guest chairs, leaning forward to rest her chin on her hands. She was very close, staring into your eyes with a daunting intensity.

“Do you believe in ghosts, professor?” she asked you, with a smile playing on her lips.

“Um.” You thought about it. “I’ve never seen one, but I guess there’s no proof they don’t exist.”

“We have reason to believe there’s a ghost inhabiting this very office.” You tried to tell if she was joking, but as far as you could tell, Holtzmann was completely serious.

“How do you know there’s a ghost in here?”

“You should ask the guy you’re replacing,” she said cryptically, and got up to continue her scans.

 

* * *

 

Holtzmann came back every other day that week to take new scans. After all, consistency is key when it comes to suspected ghosts. At least, that’s what she told you. Whatever her reasons for coming back to your office, you certainly weren’t complaining.

“So, what kind of ghost are we talking about here?” you asked one afternoon, as you discreetly watched her bend over and take some readings from the bottom of your bookshelf.

“Looking at these readings I’m getting,” she straightened back up, “I’m guessing probably a Class 1, probably a vapor. Notice anything weird since you’ve started?”

“Yeah, a pretty girl has been hanging around in my office,” you teased.

“That is weird,” Holtzmann replied, without missing a beat. “I don’t remember seeing any mirrors in here.”

You snorted, and went back to grading a quiz (if only to try and stop the blush that you could feel rising to your cheeks).

No matter how hard you tried, though, you couldn’t really find the motivation to actually do any work when Holtzmann was in the room. It didn’t help that she was currently trying to move your filing cabinet away from the wall to do god knows what.

“Dr. Holtzmann, is that really necessary?” you asked after a particularly painful screech of the filing cabinet against the floor. She stopped and leaned back casually against the side of it. You chastised the small part of your brain that just wanted to think about how good she looked right now. 

“I mean, it’s already out this far,” she reasoned. “Might as well finish the job, right?”

You rolled your eyes and went over to her. You pulled the filing cabinet out of the way in one swift tug, and motioned for her to go ahead and do whatever scans she felt were so necessary. When she was done, you pushed it back too, just to avoid having to hear the sound of the cabinet scraping the floor again. You could’ve sworn you saw Holtzmann checking you out as you did so.

“I like a woman with muscles,” she said with a smirk. You made some incoherent, con-committal noise in response, and tried to get back to work. Tried being the key word.

 

* * *

 

A couple more weeks passed, with Holtzmann regularly showing up with no planned schedule that you could discern. You almost wished she wouldn’t show up when you had work to do, but you couldn’t really find it in yourself to actually complain. And she was always a nice face to see on days when you weren’t so pressed for time.

It was a particularly slow day; you had no afternoon classes to teach, just office hours after lunch, and the only imminent deadlines you had were just that much too far in the future for you to want to worry about them now. Holtzmann was sitting in one of your chairs with her feet on your desk, not even pretending to be looking for anything, and you were slumped over your keyboard. Your stomach grumbled, loud enough for her to hear.

“Wow, do you mind if I check that out?” she asked as she picked up the spinning contraption and pointed it at your stomach. “Sounds like we just found our ghost, ladies and gentlemen.”

You swatted her away with a laugh.

“Do you wanna grab some lunch with me?” you asked. “My treat. You can see if there are any ghosts in the cafeteria.”

She pondered the offer for a moment.

“Free food and the company of a pretty girl? How could I refuse.”

“Awesome, it’s a date.” You froze. “Uh, I mean like. The non-romantic definition of a date. Like two friends. Going out for lunch. Kind of date.”

You nervously looked over at Holtzmann. She laughed, sounding a little nervous herself.

“Yeah, of course. Platonic date. Date-date didn’t even cross my mind!”

“Oh. Good?” You hadn’t meant it to sound so much like a question, but you couldn’t help the nagging feeling of disappointment in your chest. You tried to sound cheerier. “Let’s go then!”

The two of you made your way downstairs to the awful cafeteria in a heavy cloud of awkward silence. You were racking your brain for things to talk about, anything just to break the tension. You’d been talking to Holtzmann for weeks, why were you finding it so hard now?

The two of you stood in the short line for the sandwich place, still without a word spoken between you. Holtzmann seemed uncharacteristically jittery, and you were beginning to get worried.

“Um, actually, you know what? I just remembered Abby needs me for something!” she said suddenly as you got close to the front of the line.

“Oh… do you have to go?”

“Yeah, I’m really, really, reallyreally sorry,” she said, already backing away from you.

“It’s fine,” you replied with a forced smile. “You shouldn’t keep progress waiting!”

“Sorry again!” she called back over her shoulder.

“Yeah… see you next time,” you muttered to her retreating form.

 

* * *

 

The next time you found Holtzmann in your office, it was early in the morning. You knew you’d locked your door last night, but there she was anyway, slouching back in your office chair and eating Pringles as if your last interaction had never happened. She gave you a grin, and you got the sudden inexplicable urge to go over there and kiss her.

“How did you get in here?” you asked instead.

“Lock picking is a very valuable skill to have,” she explained with a mouth full of potato chips. “I’ll teach you sometime.”

You walked over to put your bag down next to your desk before turning to face Holtzmann. You stared down at her with your hands on your hips.

“Why do you know how to pick locks?”

“To impress cute girls. Is it working?” she asked, punctuated by a wink. You tried to stay calm, despite what that wink was currently doing to your heart rate.

“I’d be a lot more impressed if you’d let me sit down.”

“Your chair is so comfy though,” Holtzmann said. She slid further down (if that was even possible) and refused to move. You sighed.

“Please get up or I’m gonna have to sit on you.” She grinned, and you immediately regret what you’d just said.

“You can sit on me any time, just say the word.” It wouldn’t have been that bad, but then she had to go ahead and lick her lips, and you had just about reached your quota for the day. And it was only 8am.

“Dr. Holtzmann, I’m sorry but… please could you come back later? I really have to get ready for my class.” It wasn’t completely a lie.

“I guessss… only ‘cause you said please.”

Holtzmann made a show of getting out of the chair, acting like she’d been shot instead of asked to leave. She stumbled over to the hallway, Pringles can in one hand, the other hand gripping the door frame for dear life.

“Farewell!” she shouted dramatically before finally leaving the room.

Despite your best efforts, thoughts of Pringles-flavored kisses tormented you the rest of the day.

 

* * *

 

That single moment opened the floodgates to a whole new level on infatuation. Fantasies popped in at the most inopportune moments. She leaned up against your bookcase one evening and your first thought was to push her up against it, fingers tangled in her hair and lips stippling kisses along her jawline. Another evening she was sitting up on the edge of your desk, and your mind supplied daydreams of standing between her legs and kissing her until she couldn’t form a coherent thought, while your hands meandered down her body. One afternoon you saw her in the hallway standing too close to a broom closet, and your imagination went especially wild with that one.

It was getting a little ridiculous, to say the least.

 

* * *

 

As the weeks turned into months, without a waver in Holtzmann’s visits (or your indulgent fantasies), you knew for certain now there was definitely no ghosts in your office. You’d found out the professor before you had to leave the state to take care of a sick family member and not because he’d been chased out by a ghost. Not that you were honestly all that convinced of any office ghost in the first place.

You weren’t sure why Holtzmann kept coming back – a small part of you hoped perhaps she was having similar fantasies about you – but you couldn’t help being happy that she did.

It took a two-week absence for you to realize just how much you had grown used to her constant company. She and her partner Dr. Yates were off on a research trip to some haunted hotel, and you were surprised at how much you missed her. Her eager smile and wild blue eyes haunted you, chest aching as you went to bed at night thinking about her, telling yourself you were just being over dramatic. It’s just a silly little crush, one part of you said. Another part of you wasn’t so sure anymore.

 

* * *

 

It was the day that Holtzmann was supposed to be back from her research trip. You knew she probably wouldn’t come to see you at least until tomorrow (ignoring the possibility of her not coming back at all) but it didn’t stop you from jumping every time there was a knock on your office door.

When Holtzmann finally did show up you were bent over picking up some fallen papers, and she didn’t even knock.

“That’s a nice view to come back to.”

You let out a startled shriek as the papers in your hands went flying again.

“You seem tense,” Hotlzmann said. “Must be that ghost in here.”

Despite the anxious pounding of your heart, you were so incredibly happy to see her.

“You’re scarier than any ghost.” You knew you didn’t seem very convincing with a big, goofy grin across your face, but you couldn’t find it in you to care. “How was your research trip?”

“We still gotta go through the data, but we’re thinking a Class 1 Anchored Vapor. Maybe even a Class 2.”

“Oooo, sounds fancy,” you chuckled. “Promise you’ll still come visit me and my imaginary ghost now that you’ve found a real one?”

Holtzmann paused and laughed nervously. It reminded you of the day you asked her to lunch. You pushed away the memory.

“What are you, uh, talking about? There’s obviously a ghost in here.”

You gave her a look.

“Holtzmann, I’ve known for weeks now there’s no evidence of a ghost. Did you really think I didn’t know?”

“Well… yeah?” she replied, confused. “Why else would you let me hang around?”

Now it was your turn to look confused.

“Because… you’re pretty and I like talking to you?”

Holtzmann apparently didn’t know what to say. She froze for a moment, and you could practically see the gears turning in her head. She began trying her best to babble out an answer, mouth gaping open like a fish.

“I- I- I-” she stuttered out.

“You…?”

“I HAVE TO GO!” Holtzmann shouted before rushing out into the hallway.

You sighed, staring at the doorway as if it would magically make her come back. That didn’t go quite as well as you’d hoped.

 

* * *

 

It had been almost a week now since Holtzmann had shown up at your office, and you were starting to get anxious. Even when she’d ran from you in the cafeteria she’d still come back after a few days. Had what you said upset her that much? You entertained the thought of going downstairs to apologize, then decided against it, went through that cycle a few hundred more times, and then finally settled on going down there.

You got lost once or twice, but finally ended up in front of the lab door. You skimmed the signs posted around before walking in. Definitely not trying to stall or anything.

“Hello?” you called out, knocking quietly on the door. When you didn’t get an answer, you tentatively took a couple of steps in.

The whole room was a mess, circuit boards all over the place, gadgets everywhere, a half-eaten breakfast burrito on the desk next to the computer. There was no mistaking this was the lab Holtzmann shared with her partner.

“Holtzmann?” you shouted a little louder this time. “Are you in here?”

You thought you heard muffled voices from somewhere beyond the mountains of parts. If those were actual ghosts, you were so out of here.

“Hello!?” you tried one last time.

“Holtzmann isn’t here!” You jumped a little at the voice, and turned to face its source. A plump woman with her hair in a ponytail stared at you, arms crossed.

“Um… are you Dr. Yates?”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“I… was going to talk to Holtzmann, but I guess since she’s not here, uh, can you give her a message?”

“Do I look like some kinda answering machine?”

“Please?” You gave her your best puppy dog eyes. She sighed, still clearly not too pleased.

“Fine. But make it quick, I’ve got data to sort through.”

You froze. You hadn’t actually thought this far ahead.

“Uh. Can you just tell her I’m sorry and I want to talk to her? I haven’t met anyone as amazing as her in a really long time, or… ever, probably. I don’t want to miss out on her company forever, just because of something I said…”

Abby looked at you up and down, still looking irritated but maybe like she was considering giving you a second chance.

“Fine. I’ll tell her,” Abby said finally. “Now get out of here, I have shit to do.”

“Thank you! I really appreciate it!” Your reply was met with a dismissive hand wave.

“Just don’t do anything to hurt her, or I’m coming to get you. I know where your office is.”

 

* * *

 

It was a still few days of anxious waiting before Holtzmann showed up at your door again. You were so shocked to see her, you knocked half the things off your desk in an effort to stand up, and approximately all of the other half went down when you walked over to her.

You began your apology, but Holtzmann held up a hand to stop you mid-sentence. There was an awkward pause, and then she began to talk, fast and stiff, focusing on a point somewhere on the wall behind you, speaking almost as if she was reading from a script.

“I- I’m sorry I ran away from you last week, and I’m sorry I didn’t come back to talk to you, I just really wanted an excuse to talk to you because I saw you in the halls and I thought you were b-beautiful and then I was having so much fun and you were so nice and cute that I didn’t want to stop, and I should’ve told you the truth, I’m sorry- I’m sorry- I’m sorry if you never want to talk to me ever again.”

She looked back at your face. Her shoulders were up around her ears she was so tense.

“Dr. Holtzman…” you began, watching her brace for what you were about to say. “I meant what I said before. I let you keep coming back because I _wanted_ you to keep coming back, because I think you’re amazing. And… if you’re okay with it, I’d very much like to kiss you right now.”

Her eyes widened like dinner plates.

“Wh- what did you say?”

“I’ve been thinking about kissing you for months now, and I would be really, really happy if you’d let me. Please?” She began to nod like a bobble head on a road full of pot holes, and you couldn’t help but laugh. “I can’t kiss you if you’re doing that, you know.”

She stopped, still looking like she couldn’t believe what was happening. You took her face in your hands, and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. It was like a switch was flipped in Holtzmann’s brain.

It was like all the suppressed emotion of the last few months was being released in one giant explosion, your mouths moving together all messy and impatient, but feeling so wonderfully perfect. You pulled apart for a second that felt like years, and the look Holtzmann had on her face framed by her disheveled halo of curls made your knees go weak.

Your lips crashed back together and she pushed you backwards as her hands slipped sinfully down your back, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. She gave your ass an appreciative squeeze, before lifting you up onto your desk. You grinned against her mouth and hooked your legs around her waist, pulling her even closer to you.

You began kissing down her neck, your teeth making gentle marks, as Holtzmann’s hands found their way under your skirt. She scraped her nails lightly down your thighs and you gasped. Her touch felt like electricity on your skin. You realized now, with your hands running through Holtzmann’s thick curls and your mouth on hers, that the real thing was much better than any fantasy your brain could have created.

Her hands moved back upwards and you mourned the loss, but she made sure it was only for a moment. With nimble fingers, Holtzmann started unbuttoning your shirt, so fast you almost wondered if she’d practiced. Her kisses slowly fell lower and lower, tickling and trailing down to hover just above your bellybutton. Your head fell back as you moaned out her name. Holtzmann chuckled against your stomach, clearly pleased with herself.

As your head lulled to the side, you happened to glance at the clock on your wall, and were rudely snapped out of the moment when you registered what time it was.

“ _Oh my_ _god_ , my class started five minutes ago!”

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously I can't do things casually, so here we are again with another absurdly long fanfic. Hopefully everyone enjoys it as much as the first one I wrote!
> 
> Also, come talk to me on tumblr if you want! My sideblog is readerinsertbonanza, just like this one.


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